Production of alloys



Patented Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

1101mm) soon, enamno, new" roux, ASSIGIIOB so BUIII'ALO manic summon conronarron, or nun-n.0,

raonuorron or armors 1 Applicaflonflled August 14, mi. semi Io. $257,140.

This invention relates to a method of producing metallic alloys and the like by a direct reduction 'of the constituents thereof from their ores. In the'methods heretofore used in'the production of metallic alloys and substances composed of several constituents, it has been found desirable to produce the various constituents of the end product separately in individual reduction processes and thereafter refinev them severally prior to their admixture to produce the final alloy or multi-constituent material.

As may be clearly seen such processes are long and involved, entail the use of special equipment, and specialized apparatus and thereby increase the handling time and cost in each step of the reduction process.

Attempts to produce these materials directly from their ores have not met with marked success, especially in those cases wherein the various constituents of the final material demand difierent modes of treatment in their production and, diflerent conditions for their reduction such as temperature and nature of the surrounding atmosphere, or of theflux or slag.

'Itis proposed to produce alloys or multiconstituent materials by causing the reduction of the various ores and the production of their metallic constituents concomitantly and in the same furnace hearth whereby the various products are refined simultaneously and mixed to produce the predetermined end products.

It is further proposed to control the chemicalreactions and conditions requisite for the production of the various materials from their ores in such manner as to obtain a maximum reaction therein and the production of the desired constituents therefrom.

I propose to produce these materials in a furnace provided with a multiplicity of feeding and reducing or reaction chambers in which the products can be obtained in an atmosphere substantially nitrogen free, and

desirably use an electric furnace provided with a severalty of reducing chambers and additionally provided with a plurality of heating arcs. I propose to carry out the various metallurgical pr within the va rious chambers and so ate the metallurgical conditions obtaining therein, as for.

'ture, atmosphere, fluxing agents, and sla formation, that -I may reducea. plurality o oresconcurrently and permit the resulting vinstance types of reducing agents, temperareduced constituents to min 1e and intermix and'thereby produce the desired alloy of predetermined composition, or other desired multi-constituent material. v

' In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a furnace detionand reaction chambers as outlined herein. Thus, the furnace 10 is provided with top 11 and side walls 12 and hearth 13 made of suitable refractory material, the nature of which will vary according to the use to which it is desired to put the furnace. Thus these refractories may in some cases be acid or basic refractories of well knownmw of materials or may be neutral refractories or ma be carbon' or graphite. The furnace is esirably heated by means of electrical energyand to this end there is provided the electrodes 14 which project throughthe side walls of the furnace in a substantially horizontal position, although the position of the electrodes may be changed as .will be noted hereinafter. These various electrodes are desirably formed withan axial passage or chamber 15 therethrough adapted to receive and permit passage therethrough of charges of predetermined composition and mixture, under' r'edetermined heat cond1t1ons, surrounde by be made of finely divided material, intimately mixed and ground and fed into the furnace under the influence of desirable pressure, or

may be of molded form. and tne mold or core an atmosphere of predetermined nature, and

fed through the axial core' of the electrode.

I Thev atmosphere, temperature and reducing for the reduction of any desired ore may be;

maintained. This procedure permits the ef-- fectuation of reduction in atmospheres sub- ;tantially nitrogen-free and thus eliminates Whatever deleterious action this ingredient "may implart to metals produced in contact therewit 1 i 1 1 The mufile is provided with a slot or aperture 17 as a discharge point for material:

ejected from the electrodes whereby su'ch mar 2 teri-al may be collected in the hearth or ladle 13 -which is immediately iad-jacent the aperture 17 0f the, muifle. -The various electrodes may be charged with different types of materialsto be reduced and the reducing procifi'esses. carried out independently of one 'another although concurrently and the reduced materials obtained collectively. -As anex'ample I may prepare a silicomanganese steel in the followingfashion; 80 Through one electrode I may pass a mixture of iron ore, carbon and-fiuxing agent inthe proper'propor'tions and amounts to produce a low "carboniron or steel. Through another electrode I may desirably pass a mixand the necessary flux and so control'the conditions as to reduce 'the' manganese. These conditions' are materially different duction of iron from iron ore, notably a somewhat lower temperature, and a' difierent fluxing and reducing. condition. Through another; electrode I, pass a mixed charge con- .taining' a material from which I desireto obtain silicon, or pass a mixture of iron ore and silicon containing material, together with the necessary reducing agent and so:regulate the temperature and conditions as" to produce a predetermined amount of ferrosili'con, thus in this electrode the reducing conditions are inateriallydiiferent from those; in theother' electrodes, namely 'ahi'ghe'r temperature is required in order to efl'ect an appreciable re- 35 duction of the silicon from theore.

The various reducing actions are controlledeither according to the rate of reduction .or amount ofmaterial charged in order-to, obtain 7 a predetermined alloy mixture as the various constituents produced by 'the reduction of the several ores fall, from the muffles and into the collecting and mixing hearth 13 below the furnace.- 4,

Where it is special composition containing particular alture of an ore containing. manganese, such as pyroluslte, together with a reducing agent "-from those which are-requisite for. the prodesired to produce steels of 1 loying constituents, asfor instance tungsten,-

ohromium or other metals of group six of the Periodic Table I may desirably change the composition of the various charges as' required and include as a reducing agent'matea: rials, otherthan carbon, as for instance siliy con, aluminum or magnesium ,or other special reducing agents for-the-purpose'of produc-'.

ing these special alloying materials, while through the other electrode I pass ore mixtures of iron oxide or'other material with the usual reducing and fluxing agents,

Under certain conditions'of operation it is: I

found desirable to produce reactions in one chamber or electrode and produce specific metals, and atthe same time produce a carrying and alloying constituent therefor -in another chamber. As an example I may mix group six'of the Periodic Table, as forinstance vanadium, andadd thereto diflerential an iron ore in one vchamber and in another chamber an ore contain ng some metal; of

reducing agents. In the specific instance I cited,- I add the requisite quantity of carbon to reduce the iron ore and an active metallic reducing agent of sufiicient'chemical affinity to liberate the other metallicjingredient' from its ore. This metallic reactant is. desirably.

one which forms an oxide capable of formingaslag and .to this end such metallic elements as-alum-inum or silicon maybe used,

although certain other active metals, as for instance magnesium or'calciuln are found advantageous wherefthe temperature of the reduction'is not unduly elevated to. a degree where the; active reducing agent is distilled from the mixture. This method of operation which mixes with the otheralloying constituent to form substantially a one-phase liquid ,mixt'u're of "predetermined composition, Other constituents, if necessary for the pro- I .duction of the desired material, are reduced produces iron as a basealloying element in other chambers or electrodes and fall. into 1 the common hearth for final'treatment.

When it is desired to produce an alloy of.

iron and chromium of a composition'suitable for direct fabricationof commercial products,

I desirably reduce an ore' of. chromium, such as chromite which contains iron, chromium "and oxygen, -by reducing agents other than carbon to eliminate the probable formation of chromium carbide by contact of the reduced metal wi'th carbonaeeous reducing agents of the ore charge. 7

To this-end I carry out a reduction of the chrome ore in one chamber or electrode, by 'mea'ns'of'a non-carbonaceous reducing agent such as silicon, or other metal capable of re-- ducing theoreL I desirably reduce Iron ore in another chamber or electrode by means of carbon-as a reducing-agent. This mode of operation prevents contamination of the chromium with carbon, permits of controlled operating conditions in the reduction of the several constituents and reduces operating costs.

What is claimed is: 1. A m hod of producing multi-constitu- .5 out alloy w ich comprises finely dividing and admixing solid ingredients for reducing one metal constituent of the alloy, feeding. a charge of the finely divided solid ingredients through a conduit formed in an energized electrode, controlling the rate of movement of the charge through the electrode, finely dividing and mixing solid ingredients for reducing a second metallic constituent of the alloy, feeding a charge of the finely divided 5 solid ingredients of the second metallic constituent through a second electrode, and discharging the reduced metallic ingredients from both electrodes into a common hearth;

2. A method of producing multi-constituent alloy which comprises, finely dividing and mixing solid ingredients for producing one metallic constituent of the alloy, feeding a charge of the finely divided solid ingredients through an energized hollow electrode,

controlling the rate of movement of the charge through the electrode, finely dividing and mixing solid ingredients for reducing a second metallic constituent of the allo feeding a charge of the finely divided sohd ingredients of the second metallic constituent through a second hollow electrode, maintaining the electrodes in a confined space. and dis charging the ingredients simultaneously therefrom upon'a common mixing hearth;

3. A method of producing'multi-constituent alloy composed of two primary constituents having different reducing characteristics, which comprises mixing finely divided solid material for reducing the respective constitu- 40 ents, feeding charges of the constituents respectively through adjacent hollow gradiently heated' electrodes for reduction therein, controlling the rate of feeding of each charge according to its responsiveness to reduction 4 by electric heat in the electrodes, and discharging the reduced constituents from the hollow electrodes into a common hearth for final mixing therein.

, 4. A' method of producing multi-constitu cut alloy which comprises electrically smelting vanadium containing materials in a gradiently'heated hollow electrode, smelting iron containing materials in a second hollow electrode, independently controlling the heating and movement of the materials in each electrode, vand discharging the smelted materials into a common container directly from the electrodesa' Y I 6o DONALD M. SCOTT. 

